But as of Jan. 1, the salary cap for the top earners at the Sheriff's Office will increase by 9.2 percent, according to the new pay scale. The exception is the sheriff, whose salary is set each year based on population figures. Sheriff Ed Bieluch earns $139,906.

Bieluch's changes will give the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office one of the highest base salaries for executive ranks among sheriff's offices in the state.

"I don't know how he justifies giving them so much more than the people out in the field doing the work," said Ernie George, president of the Palm Beach County chapter of the Police Benevolent Association. "That's pretty good pay."

George, whose union represents deputies, said the accepted practice among police agencies in the nation is to have no more than a 15 percent difference between the ranks. Under Bieluch's new pay scale, the top salary for majors would be 27 percent greater than the top pay for the next rank, captains.

Employees who reach the top of the pay scale in their pay grade only receive the 3 percent cost of living increase each year. By increasing the salary cap, the sheriff can continue giving his executives the 7.5 percent raise for several more years.

Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Diane Carhart said the change was needed because at least one officer has reached the old cap.

That person, James Davis, the assistant director of finance, is earning the top salary in his pay grade, at $98,064. If no changes were made to the pay scale next year, he would only get a 3 percent raise, earning $101,004. But under the changes, made on Oct. 22, he'll earn $105,552 next year. The following year, he'll top out at about $113,000.

That does not include longevity pay for those with 10 or more years with the agency, which applies to most of the executive staff. It ranges from 2 percent for those with 10 to 15-years experience, to 8 percent for those with 25 years or more.

When Bieluch was campaigning for office in 2000, he promised to cut the salaries of the top three commanders under then-Sheriff Bob Neumann by $9,000. When he was elected, he reduced their pay by $7,000, but added an undersheriff position.

Now, his top staffers stand to earn more the longer they stay with the department. Under the current scale, a major can earn no more than a base salary of $98,064. But the new scale allows majors to earn as much as $110,304. An exception was made for one major, who now earns $103,197. It was not immediately known why the exception was granted.

The undersheriff, who currently can earn no more than $122,664, would be able to "top out" at $137,964, only $1,942 less than the sheriff's salary.

Most of the agency's majors and colonels are two years away from reaching the current salary cap. With the new changes, they'll reach the cap in four years. Col. Bruce Frumoff and Maj. Keith Chambers will reach it in three. Chambers, who is in charge of corrections security, currently earns $93,840. In three years, that would jump to roughly $116,000, including cost of living increases.

At the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, which is closest to Palm Beach County's office in size and demographics, there is no salary cap. The second-in-command earns $128,000, with 5 percent pay increases each year, said Sgt. Greg Tita. By comparison, the Palm Beach County Undersheriff can make as much as $137,964 in base pay alone. Majors in Pinellas County earn $97,000, Tita said, while majors in Palm Beach could make up to $110,304.

At the Broward Sheriff's Office, a larger agency, the second-in-command can earn a maximum of $138,374, records show. However, top pay for those with the third highest rank under the sheriff in Broward is $117,875, compared with $129,960 in Palm Beach. And the cap for Broward majors is $98,179, compared with the county's $110,304.

The new Palm Beach County scale will affect the earning potential of 13 employees, including seven majors, the assistant director of finance, the chief legal advisor, three colonels and the undersheriff. The Sheriff's Office has four more majors than the previous administration.

However, some of the more senior Sheriff's Office executives may not stay long enough to receive those pay increases because they elected to enter a state mandatory retirement plan.

In a little more than a year, Undersheriff William Tremer, Col. Arthur Owens and Maj. Jose Figeroua will have to retire under a plan that allows them to accumulate pension money while still employed, for a maximum of five years. They can collect the money after they leave the department.

Kevin Krause can be reached at kkrause@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6604.